Murfreesboro Local Events

History of Murfreesboro

While searching for Murfreesboro local events keep in mind the rich history of this city. In 1811, the Tennessee State Legislature appointed a committee to select a new site for the Rutherford County seat. The site eventually chosen was 60 acres of land belonging to Captain William Lytle. The General Assembly named the new town Cannonsburgh, honoring Newton Cannon, a young politician in Williamson County, but upon Captain Lytle’s request, changed the name to Murfreesboro one month later. The naming was in memory of Lytle’s friend, Colonel Hardy Murfree.

In the early years of Murfreesboro, it was mainly an agricultural community, with corn, cotton, and tobacco being the main crops. Although education suffered from the military occupation and the trauma of the Civil War, by the early 1900’s it began to regain momentum.In 1911, Middle Tennessee State Normal School, for the training of teachers, was opened in Murfreesboro, joining Tennessee College for Women, which had opened in 1907. Today, Middle Tennessee State University is the home of 23,000, or more, students and has the highest undergraduate enrollment in the state. After WWII, Murfreesboro and Rutherford County began to change from an agricultural based economy to industrial and manufacturing. In the past decade, Murfreesboro has enjoyed substantial residential and commercial growth. The city’s population has increased 53.2% from 44,922 in 1990 to 68,816 in 2000.